In many industries and other commercial enterprises, bulk particulate material often is transported in bags which may be handled manually, when such material situated at a use site is to be used for processing or some other purpose, such bags typically are manually ruptured, lifted and dumped into receptacles of pneumatic or other conveying systems. In doing so, a certain amount of dust is generated which may pollute the environment in the vicinity of the work area and elsewhere, may create a health hazard for workmen in the vicinity of the area and possibly cause a loss of useful material.
In the prior art, there has been developed a type of apparatus into which the particulate material contents of such rupturable bags may be charged for further handling. Such type of apparatus generally includes a hopper having a grate disposed across an inlet opening thereof into which the contents of bagged material may be charged, a filter unit having an inlet communicating with the interior of the hopper and a blower fan for drawing airborne particles produced by the charging of such material into the hopper, from the vicinity of the work area, and conveying such particles through the filter unit to prevent them from escaping into the ambient atmosphere and possibly causing environmental problems in the work area. An example of such an apparatus is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,452.
Although the type of apparatus described has been very effective in preventing the escape of airborne particles and recovering a maximum amount of material being dumped, it has been desirable to provide such an apparatus which is even more effective in preventing environmental pollution and recovering a maximum amount of material being dumped.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus into which the particulate material contents of rupturable bags may be charged.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus into which the particulate material contents of rupturable bags may be charged, capable of not only preventing pollution of the environment of the work area but recovering airborne particles created by the dumping operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus into which the particulate material contents of a ruptured bag may be charged, creating airborne particles of such material, in which both exterior and interior airborne particles created by such dumping action may be more effectively recovered for further processing, conveying, handling or storage purposes.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus into which the particulate material contents of ruptured bags may be charged which is comparatively simple in construction, relatively easy to maintain and highly effective in recovering any exterior or interior airborne particles created by the charging action of the material.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.